Light at the End of the Tunnel

I only have 11 days of school left!

***WARNING: This is a really long post, do not feel obligated to read, I was just writing what was on my mind, haha. If you do read, well you must really love me, haha.***

This 11 days left is including my 3 finals days! It is so crazy to me that after 4 years, my school career is finally coming to an end. Everything that I've worked so hard for the last 9 semesters will finally come to pass, and I'll be starting my real career and dream job. I have wanted to be a hygienist from literally the time that I was about 7 years old. My mom's friend was divorced, had 3 kids, had a nice house, and she got to still spend so much time with her kids. I remember asking my Mom, how is she able to do that? Doesn't she have to work all the time?? My mom told me that she had a really good, flexible, well-paying job that allowed her to earn good money, and spend a lot of time with her family. She told me what hygienists did, and I just thought it sounded like the coolest job, and I told my Mom that I was going to be a dental hygienist when I grow up. Well, here I am, I'm going to be graduating April 27, 2009 with my Bachelor's in Dental Hygiene! I still don't know if I'm "grown up" yet, but here I come haha. And of course, my whole fate completely relies on if I pass all my Boards, but I'll try to think positively.

This has been such a crazy past 4 years, and I feel that I've grown and changed so much. I'm graduating, I got married, Truman & I have a cat! haha. I feel I have recieved such an amazing education from my school, and that I had no idea what I was in for. I love the friendships I've made and feel so lucky that I've got to meet all 54 crazy girls in my graduating class. It makes me sad to have made so many wonderful friends, and then us all going such different directions. Most of us moved out here just for school, and will be going back or moving on. I will truly miss those friends, and some of our amazing instructors. It's very strange to think that I never have to go to school again --Never have a first day, a finals week, Christmas break, summer break, anything... I am so excited, but also scared to go out into the real world and finally practice what I've been working for for so long.

I feel so happy and proud that I have come so far. I remember my freshman year in high school we had to do a career project, and I did mine on becoming a dental hygienist. I remember I was shocked with all the classes you would have to take, and all the years of college I would have to do. I remember thinking, 4 years! That's like doing high school all over again! haha. When I was a junior in high school, I had to take "Chem A" (meaning I wasn't even in the harder Chemistry class, --Chem B). I got a C+ my first semester. I was horrified, especially because I knew this was one of the many pre-requisites to get into dental hygiene school. Dental hygiene school is extremely competitive to get into, and I was pretty sure a C+ wasn't going to cut it. I felt completely lost in that class and had no idea what was going on. Mr. Gwyn, my teacher, was one of the sweetest teachers there at Ponderosa. I went to him for help and he spent an incredible amount of time helping me understand chemistry. I had missed so much of the foundation, that even with all his amazing help, the next semester I still only got either a B- or B. I was so worried about not being able to get good enough grades to get into dental hygiene school.

The career counselor at Pondo and my Mom helped me look up pre-requisites, schools, websites and more to figure out what each school wanted. I enrolled at Folsom Lake College and American River College in Sacramento, CA. Each semester I took anywhere from 13 to 18 units, and continued to work part-time as a Registered Dental Assistant in Dr. Catron's office.

When I started my classes in college I was deteremined that I would do what it takes to get the good grades. I worked my bum off and ended up taking Chem 305 Intro Chemistry, Chem 306 Ogranic Chemistry, and Chem 400 General Chemistry and getting an A in all of them. I have never worked so hard in my life...well except now, while I'm in hygiene school haha.

To get into dental hygiene school, you needed all the school's specific pre-requisites, but you do not need a degree. But by the end of all my pre-requisite classes, I was so close to getting one! I figured, why not? So instead of taking just taking the rest of my pre-requisite classes, I took the extra 7 units of classes like Fitness, Anthropology, and a History so I could get my degree. It was a total of 18 units, plus working, that was a long hard semester haha --especially because I met Truman during my last month of that semester haha.

I graduated from Folsom Lake College on May 23, 2007 with my:
Associate in Science in General Science, Highest Honors
Associate in Arts in General Education, Highest Honors

Sister Tara, Me, Nephew Reis, Brother-in-law Mike